I added some photos to FlyerTalk in my album titled Monterey. This is my first time playing with this feature. Here are some shots and commentary from places in and around Monterey.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/satori-albums-monterey.html

Lake Las Vegas

Lake Las Vegas is 17 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip, just past the suburb city of Henderson. The lake itself is a 320-acre private lake surrounded by a 3,200-acre Tuscan inspired resort complex of hotels including the Ritz-Carlton, Loews Resort (formerly a Hyatt Resort), MonteLago Village Resort, residential communities, a golf course, and the small disneyesque MonteLago Village beside the lake.

 

 

 

Lake Las Vegas is a far different experience from the Las Vegas Strip. This is the kind of place where you can easily keep the kids entertained with outdoor activities without the need to dodge street drunks and sex advertisers prevalent along the Strip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Las Vegas is the place for visitors to the Las Vegas Valley whose idea of a vacation is more in tune with lying by a pool all day, riding in or paddling boats on the lake, and playing games at ping pong tables or pool tables rather than poker tables. There is still dining in restaurants, perhaps a spa treatment or two, and outdoor free shows while basking in a warm weather getaway at a resort hotel for fine dining and evening entertainment away from the Strip.

 

 

 

Hey this is Nevada. MonteLago Casino at MonteLago Village is adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas if pulling a slot or two and gambling for dollars is an itch you must scratch.

Friday and Saturday evenings have free music concerts by the lake. While you have a slim chance of seeing Bono at the Ritz-Carlton spa, you can actually plan to hear the tribute band Vegas U2 in a free concert September 11.  http://lakelasvegasevents.com/

 

 

 

Ritz-Carlton Hotel Lake Las Vegas

Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas is a resort where a Lake view is desirable and worth the extra $20 or so per night. The hotel was built in 2003 and has 348 rooms and suites. There is a $25 per day Resort fee which includes internet access, spa and fitness center facilities access, free local calls, and access to business center computers.

 

 

 

 

 

Weekends at the resort generally mean less choice in room selection, in addition to higher rates, unless you book well in advance. You will likely pay more for the less desirable Resort view on a Friday or Saturday night than you will for a Lake view on any other weeknight.

 

 

 

 

 

Sample rate for Monday through Friday, September 13-17, a 4-night stay in a Lake View Standard Guest Room is $229 and includes breakfast for two. That room rate is down from $249 per night, room only without breakfast, for the preceding Friday and Saturday night weekend of September 11-13.

 

Lowest room rates are $229 for a Resort View Guest Room on a Friday or Saturday, September 11-12.

 

 

 

 

 

The standard size Guest Room at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas is nearly 500 square feet and will feel like the size of a large junior suite of most upscale chain hotels. TVs are 37-inch HDTV flat screens in standard guest rooms.

 

One Bedroom Executive Suite Resort View is $329 on Friday, September 11.  Stay Monday night, September 13 and the rate for the same room is just $229. This is a really large room at 960 square feet with a separate sitting area room from the bedroom with its own toilet. A 42-inch TV in each suite room provides entertainment options and the sitting room has a sofa.

 

 

 

 

 

Ritz-Carlton is pet friendly. There is a hefty $125 charge for pets, but you won’t have to sneak Fifi and Fido into the hotel.

 

Ritz-Carlton is also a kid friendly environment. The hotel offer’s children’s programs for a fee and your kids can be entertained by someone else. Your own luxury babysitter service for up to 6 hours a day.

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/LakeLasVegas/Childrens/Default.htm

 

Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas Dining link: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/LakeLasVegas/Dining/Default.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas Photo Tour: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/LakeLasVegas/PhotoTourPop.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Packages can save some real cash at a resort hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

Loyalty Traveler analysis of Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas offers for the week of September 11-18.

Peace of Mind free nights package with one free night on a 3 night stay; two free nights on a 5-night stay; and 3 free nights on a 7 night stay are the best values. The available room only showed as a Resort view standard guest room when I checked online. A call to reservations may allow you to book a Lake view room or a suite with this package, if desired.

Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas Resort Sample Rates

Sample Rates Sep 11-18, 2009	Per night Rate	Package inclusions and fees
Peace of Mind Package 5-night stay,   September 13-18, Arrive Sunday and depart Friday.	$259   Pay 3 nights, Get 2 Nights Free   Best Value at under $200 per night all in.	Resort Fee Included Valet Parking included Breakfast included
Executive Suite Resort View B&B Package	$329 Fri-Sun $259 Mon-Thur	Resort Fee Included Valet Parking included Breakfast included
Club Level Guest Room Resort View Culinary offers throughout the day	$299 Fri-Sun $249 Mon-Thur	Resort Fee $25 $50 extra person fee for 3rd or 4th person in room over age 12.
Resort ReConnect Package Guest Room Lake View Breakfast for 2	$299 Fri-Sun $249 Mon-Thur   Includes $50 resort credit	Resort fee $25 Breakfast included
Lake View Guest Room B&B Package Breakfast for 2	$279 for Fri-Sunday $229 Mon-Thur nights	Resort Fee Included Valet Parking included Breakfast included
Resort View  Guest Room B&B Package Breakfast for 2	$259 Fri-Sun $209 Mon-Thur	Resort Fee Included Valet Parking included Breakfast included
Guest room Resort View	$229 Fri-Sat (Sep 11-12) $229 Sunday (Sep 13) $179 Mon-Thur (Sep 14-18)	Resort Fee $25 per night

Marriott Rewards members can redeem Mariott Rewards points for free nights at the Ritz-Carlton Las Vegas. PointSavers make this property a good deal for the month of September.

 

 

 

Ritz-Carlton Tier 1 PointSavers reward codes descriptions and point values

 

Code M021: one night award in a standard guest room 35,000 points (regularly 45,000 points

Code M022: two-night award in a standard guest room for 60,000 points (regularly 75,000 points

Code M023: three-night award in a standard guest room for 80,000 points (regularly 100,000 points

Code M024: five-night award in a standard guest room for 120,000 points (regularly 150,000 points)

Code M025: seven-night award in a standard guest room for 140,000 points (regularly 175,000 points)

 

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/ritzCarltonPointSavers.mi

Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas

 

 

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort is about 20 miles east of the major action on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel décor is bright, airy, and the loudest noises you are likely to hear will come from kids screaming and laughing out of fun, joy, and excitement at the pools, ping pong tables, and the lake beach rather than the typical clink, clang, and ring of slot machines in Las Vegas.

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort struck me as a family fun destination in a desert oasis perched on the edge of a private lake on the outskirts of Henderson, Nevada. This hotel used to be the Hyatt Lake Las Vegas and possibly familiar to many movie watchers as the Las Vegas location for the 2001 movie America’s Sweethearts with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, John Cusack, and Billy Crystal.

Link to Resort Overview page for Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort.

 

The hotel was designed with a Moroccan theme. This lobby invites one to sit and lounge in the cool open space with plenty of comfortable cushion chairs and couches when the outside temperature can peel your skin in the sun before you can finish a round of golf. 

 

 

 

There are nearly 500 rooms and close to 50 suites at the resort.  This hotel is one of my favorite locations in the Las Vegas Valley. You will be hard pressed to find a better value for a resort getaway if you desire sun and relaxation and don’t mind the absence of gambling facilities.

The website has a page for room category comparisons. http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/Lake-Las-Vegas-Resort/Rooms/Compare.aspx

 

The primary difference for most of the standard rooms at 392 square feet (a comfortable size) is the view from three locations within the hotel.

Superior rooms will be located on the side of the resort facing away from the Lake. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $93 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $139 per night.

Deluxe rooms face the pool side or may have a partial lake view. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $106 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $159 per night.

 

Luxury rooms have the nicest view in the standard room size category and look upon Lake Las Vegas.  Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $106 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $159 per night.

 

Grand Luxury King at 524 square feet provides ample space for feeling a bit more resort like. I feel like I’ve scored a decent upgrade when I have a room over 500 square feet. That makes the hotel room feel spacious enough for an extended hotel stay. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $126 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $189 per night.

 

An Executive Suite at 792 square feet is when the going is good and the relaxing in your room is truly a comfort. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate Luxury King Suite $289 per night Aug 25-27.

Moving above this size of room will rapidly increase the cost of your stay.

Grand King Suite at 1,188 square feet is $489 per night with “Taking Care of Business” Instant Gold Elite rate Aug 25-27.

 

 

Loews You First Hotel Loyalty Program Instant Gold Elite Offer

One of the real values of booking a room at this hotel for a quick stay over the next week is the ability to receive instant Gold elite status in Loews “You First” hotel loyalty program for stays by August 30, 2009. Even a one night stay qualifies for this offer.

One of the benefits of Gold elite membership, normally requiring 5 stays in a calendar year, is a complimentary room upgrade. Book the Luxury room and you may find yourself in the Grand Luxury King. Book the Grand Luxury and you may receive an Executive Suite. Upgrades may be confirmed at time of booking and Gold members can buy a suite upgrade for $50 per night, if available.

Loews You First Gold members also receive complimentary late checkout, complimentary internet and free fitness center access.

Loews You First Elite Level benefits: https://www.loewshotels.com/en/YouFirst/Benefits.aspx

 

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort website link for hotel virtual tour: http://www.loewshotels.com/Content/en/Hotels/Lake-Las-Vegas-Resort/PhotoGallery/virtualtour.html

Dozens of children were playing in the activity pools outside.

 

One lone woman sat reading a book in the quiet spacious lobby on a Saturday morning. The pool is off to the side and the beach loaded with toddlers sits below the lobby level. The view from the lobby was an uninterrupted-by-people vista and unobtrusively tranquil with glittering sunlight reflecting off the lake surface.

 

Boats are available for rent and the roads are fairly wide and quiet of heavy traffic in the Lake Las Vegas community if you want to try a bike ride.

 

Self-parking is free at the resort and just 50 yards from the entrance. (I clocked myself at 25 minutes to go from my room at Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip directly to my car in the self-park lot and directly back to the room).

 

The hotel shuttle will take guests to MonteLago Village about a mile away where the MonteLago Casino and Ritz Carlton Hotel are located.

 

 

 

 

InterContinental Hotels Group has a Great Asia Sale this week.  Loyalty traveler is passing on the sale news a little late, but better than never. There is still 24 hours for booking these slight room rate savings for 11 participating hotels in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta for stays through October 31, 2009.

IHG Great Asia Sale Promotion link.

The current sale was five days and ends Friday, August 21 at 11:59pm GMT+8. That is 11:59 noon on Friday, August 21 New York time or 8:59am Friday, San Francisco time. I used to travel to Asia every year and I could keep track of the time zones in my head. These days I have to look it up on an international clock.

Check back Sunday, August 23 at 12 noon NY time or 9am California time for the next Great Asia Sale offer for the cities of Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh.

www.ihg.com/asiasale

The Great Asia Sale is more like a good AAA discount rate rather than a full-blown great deal. The rates shown in the advertisement are not the rates I found in several rate checks today. In fact, there were lower rates than the Great Asia Sale rate available for the IC Singapore for the two dates I checked.

 

Great Asia Sale Terms: Rate is prepaid and nonrefundable and no cancellation allowed. InterContinental Ambassadors are not allowed to use the “Buy One Night Get One Free” certificate with the Great Asia Sale rate.

InterContinental Singapore	Great Asia Sale	Advance Purchase	Better Rate
Wed. Sep 23	SGD $244 USD $168.83 Deluxe Room	SGD $228.75 USD$158.31 Deluxe Room	Advance Purchase Save USD $10.52
	SGD $316 USD $218.70 Club InterContinental	SGD $296.25 USD$205.03 Club InterContinental	Advance Purchase Save USD $13.67
Fri. Oct 2	SGD $200 USD $138.43 Deluxe Room	SGD $212.50 USD $147.08 Deluxe Room	Great Asia Sale Save USD $8.65
	SGD $272 USD $188.26 Club InterContinental	SGD $289 USD $199.97 Club InterContinental	Great Asia Sale Save USD $11.71
Holiday Inn Park View Singapore	Great Asia Sale	Advance Purchase	Better Rate
Wed. Sep 23	SGD $185.61 USD $128.46 Deluxe Room	SGD $215.20 USD $148.94 Deluxe Room	Great Asia Sale Save USD $20.48
	SGD $225.63 USD $156.17 Club Room	SGD $261.60 USD $181.03 Club Room	Great Asia Sale Save USD $24.86
Fri. Oct. 2	SGD $159.00 USD $110.01 Deluxe Room	SGD $180.20 USD $124.68 Deluxe Room	Great Asia Sale Save USD $13.67   Weekend Special rate includes breakfast for two SGD $190 USD $131.49
	SGD $202.50 USD $140.15 Club Room	SGD $229.50 USD $158.83 Club Room	Great Asia Sale Save USD $18.68

 

The Great Asia Sale offers greater savings for the Holiday Inn Park View Singapore (around 15%) than for the InterContinental Singapore (around 5 to 6 %). The InterContinental Singapore actually had lower rates using the advance purchase for the weekday rates sample.

The Weekend Special rate includes breakfast for two for the Singapore Holiday Inn Park View. This rate might be a better value to start the day with breakfast at the hotel for an extra USD $21 and earn additional Priority Club points.

The Holiday Inn Park View is located just off Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping street. Just outside the hotel is an alley with restaurants and beer gardens. I passed through the HI Park View on my last trip to Singapore and the lobby is one of the nicest I have seen in a Holiday Inn. The road outside the front entrance is extremely busy with car traffic. A pedestrian overpass had some interesting signage. The SGD $1000 fines for riding a bicycle on a pedestrian bridge make the hotel rates seem downright cheap in comparison.

Conclusion: The IHG Great Asia Sale is a discount in most cases, albeit a relatively small one in the rates for dates I checked. I wouldn’t exactly call it a “great sale” discount. This promotional sale is nothing to be too upset about if you miss the current “Great Asia Sale”.

 

Take this Hawaii Dollar and break it in the sand. Just step on it and let it snap like a beautiful sand dollar shell cracking under the feet of unobservant tourists. Crumble Hilton HHonors Hawaii Dollars into tiny grains since using this option for spending your HHonors points has as much appeal as a sand dollar in 100 little pieces you don’t want to bother keeping in your pocket.

Every couple of weeks I look for some new promotion to generate a spark of interest from this loyalty traveler and I just find Hilton HHonors in the dark.

One of Hilton HHonors options for redeeming points is an exchange of 25,000 Hilton points for 50 Hawaii Dollars. Two Hilton Resorts in Hawaii accept Hawaii Dollars for restaurant and spa purchases. Hawaii Dollars are accepted at Bali by the Sea® or Donatoni’s, or the Mandara Spa or Kohala Sports Club & Spa at two Hilton Hotel Hawaii Resorts. Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii’s Big Island or Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa on Oahu are the only two places you can spend Hawaii Dollars.

25,000 points is almost sufficient for a free night on a 6-night VIP 175,000 points award for Hawaii. Trading 25,000 points for $50 is the type of exchange rate you expect when using a traveler’s check or cash at a foreign hotel desk to exchange money.

Hawaii is still the USA right? Obama’s birther controversy has had me wondering lately whether Hawaii might be a foreign land.

Breaking up is hard to do, but sometimes best for all concerned

Rumor has it that Blackstone Group is going to break up and sell off the Hilton chain to recoup much of the $US 26 billion investment the company sunk into the Hilton portfolio a couple of years ago.

I hope so.

The Hilton HHonors loyalty program has been gutted over the past few years. I know Hilton is still an extremely popular hotel chain, but I don’t think the hotel loyalty program is the primary incentive feeding Hilton loyalists or else they do not know there are greener pastures in the field of hotel loyalty programs.

Sure, there are good features of Hilton HHonors. Double dipping for points and miles creates a frequent flyer account boost without even flying. Or earning 50% extra points by double dipping with points and points gets a member to a hotel award faster than otherwise expected. But promotions like 10,000 points after five stays as the feature summer bonus are lame.

And not just Hilton, but all the hotel chains are relying heavily on credit card brand incentives this promotion season. VISA (Hilton, Marriott) or MasterCard (Hyatt) just to earn hotel stay bonuses is not a good strategy for incentivizing hotel loyalty when the country is reeling from a mountain of debt and consumers are curtailing spending and staying away from hotels altogether.

Are credit card purchases of hotel loyalty program points part of the US economic stimulus program? The people who rely on credit cards for earning frequent flier miles and frequent guest points are not the population segment holding back economic recovery in the USA. Credit card incentives just serve to fragment among the various hotel chains the smaller pool of travelers still traveling.

 

 

 

 

Marriott Rewards offers a PointSavers discount whereby the rate for a free night using points is reduced by one category level for participating hotels. UK hotels are heavily featured for 2009. The PointSavers participating hotels list is up-to-date.

The PointSavers advertisement is up to 33% savings. This is true if you book a Marriott Rewards category 3 hotel participating in PointSavers. The regular rate of 15,000 points per night for a free night at a Category 3 hotel will be reduced by 33% to 10,000 points per night. In effect you can redeem 3 nights at a Category 3 hotel for the normal price of 2 nights.

33% is the maximum savings using PointSavers.

The savings is reduced as you go higher in category level using PointSavers.

Here is a table to show the savings by hotel category level for Marriott Rewards PointSavers.

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category	Regular Points for Free Night	PointSaver Rate	Discount
Category 1	7,500	6,000	20%
Category 2	10,000	7,500	25%
Category 3	15,000	10,000	33%
Category 4	20,000	15,000	25%
Category 5	25,000	20,000	20%
Category 6	30,000	25,000	17%
Category 7	35,000	30,000	14%
Category 8	40,000	35,000	12.5%

 

Marriott Rewards feature of “Redeem 4 nights and get the 5^th night free” is applicable for PointSaver redemptions.

 

Ritz-Carlton PointSavers

Ritz-Carlton Hotels are part of the Marriott Hotels chain. You can redeem your Marriott Rewards points for Ritz-Carlton hotel stays, however, you do not earn Marriott Rewards points for Ritz-Carlton stays.

A great feature of Marriott Rewards is the participation of Ritz-Carlton Hotels in PointSavers. In fact, the advantage of Ritz-Carlton PointSavers is the per night rate for multi-night stays still decreases for longer stays just as the old Marriott Rewards chart did for Marriott brand hotels.

A free night using Marriott Rewards points for a Tier 2 Ritz-Carlton Hotel for a 1-night stay will cost 70,000 points regularly. A 7-night hotel stay will cost just over 35,000 points per night. The per night cost using points decreases by almost 50%.

There are four main Marriott Hotels in San Francisco all at Category 6 or 30,000 points per night. The 5^th night free award saves 30,000 points. A Marriott Rewards guest will spend 180,000 points for 7 nights on a regular award at one of these San Francisco hotels. None of these hotels are currently participating in PointSavers for discount award nights.

PointSavers for 7-nights reduces the cost for a free night at a higher level Ritz-Carlton Hotel to just over 27,000 points per night for a hotel like the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco and Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, 35 miles south of San Francisco. A Marriott Rewards guest will spend 190,000 points for a 7-night PointSavers stay available through September 30, 2009. An additional 10,000 points will upgrade the guest from a Marriott or Renaissance to a Ritz-Carlton in the San Francisco area.

 

Ritz-Carlton PointSavers Table

Marriott Rewards Ritz-Carlton Hotel Category	Regular Award Points for Ritz-Carlton	PointSavers Award for Ritz-Carlton	Discount
Tier 1 – 1 Night	45,000	35,000	22%
Tier 1 – 2 Nights	75,000	60,000	20%
Tier 1 – 3 Nights	100,000	80,000	20%
Tier 1 – 5 Nights	150,000	120,000	20%
Tier 1 – 7 Nights	175,000	140,000	20%
Tier 2 – 1 Night	70,000	50,000	28.6%
Tier 2 – 2 Nights	110,000	80,000	27.3%
Tier 2 – 3 Nights	150,000	110,000	26.7%
Tier 2 – 5 Nights	200,000	150,000	25%
Tier 2 – 7 Nights	250,000	190,000	24%

 

Marriott Rewards Ritz-Carlton Hotel Category	Regular Award Per Night Points for Ritz-Carlton	PointSavers Per Night Points for Ritz-Carlton
Tier 1 – 1 Night	45,000	35,000
Tier 1 – 2 Nights	37,500	30,000
Tier 1 – 3 Nights	33,333	26,667
Tier 1 – 5 Nights	30,000	24,000
Tier 1 – 7 Nights	25,000	20,000
Tier 2 – 1 Night	70,000	50,000
Tier 2 – 2 Nights	55,000	40,000
Tier 2 – 3 Nights	50,000	36,667
Tier 2 – 5 Nights	40,000	30,000
Tier 2 – 7 Nights	35,714	27,143

 

Ritz-Carlton Hotel stays are a great value for Marriott Rewards points.

Here is the link to the Summer 2009 participating hotels through September 30, 2009.

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/ritzCarltonPointSavers.mi#summer2009pointsaversrewards

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Marriott! PointSavers webpage update is overdue.

Marriott Rewards has not updated the PointSavers FAQ page. The webpage describing PointSavers has been out-of-date for all of 2009 since the Marriott Rewards program changes in January 2009. The FAQ provides an incorrect example for the first question:

“What type of value does PointSavers provide?

The PointSavers value is exceptional. Members may receive up to a 33% savings on point redemptions depending on the hotel category and number of nights requested.

Locations participating in PointSavers are discounted by one category in Marriott Rewards point requirements.*

For example, members can stay in a Category 5 hotel while redeeming points for a Category 4 hotel. So, to stay at a Category 5 hotel for two nights at a standard redemption would require 46,000 Marriott Rewards points. The same stay with PointSavers would be 38,000 points or a 21% savings.”

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/marriottRewardsPointSaversFAQs.mi

Using the current Marriott Rewards free night redemption table the example should read:

“For example, members can stay in a Category 5 hotel while redeeming points for a Category 4 hotel. So, to stay at a Category 5 hotel for two nights at a standard redemption would require 50,000 Marriott Rewards points. The same stay with PointSavers would be 40,000 points or a 20% savings.”

The weekend in Las Vegas provided quintessential views of the Las Vegas Strip. Hotels in Las Vegas can provide some of the world’s finest hotel rooms at remarkably inexpensive prices. Thank you to all the gamblers who finance the casinos and allow travelers like me to get glittering views for under $75 per night.

 

 

Starwood Hotels Planet Hollywood is part of the Sheraton brand. My hotel reservation was only $71.20 to book for Sunday night on the same day Sunday at 11am with AAA group rate. The check-out total for room with tax and resort fee was just $79.74 for a same day reservation in the height of summer travel.

 

 

As a Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Platinum member I received a room upgrade and 500 Starpoints as my platinum member hotel stay amenity. In addition to the platinum amenity points, I anticipate 1,000 points for the Q3 SPG promotion. I think I am also signed up for another 1,000 points bonus for western state Starwood Hotels, but I will have to look more closely into that since it might be another chain. This Loyalty Traveler even has trouble keeping tabs on all the hotel points promotions.

 

 

My $71 rate only earned 213 points as an SPG elite member for the paid portion of my reservation, so the additional 1,500 to 2,500 points earned for this Planet Hollywood stay is quite a bonus on the points typically calculated in hotel loyalty program earning comparisons. 

 

 

This loyalty traveler has always argued “promotions make all the difference when making hotel loyalty program points earning comparisons”.

 

I love some aspects of Las Vegas, but I never have a problem leaving. Dehydration after a 40-minute walk in the 104 degree heat is fine for a day or two. 

Coming home to the 66 degree ocean fog of summer in Monterey is welcome relief from the California/Nevada desert life. Bikinis are not a common feature of our Central Coast California beach life, although life here does have its own unique identity not found on Mandalay Bay Beach.

 

 

 The wildlife here in Monterey is a bit more authentic. 

 

 

 

The Starwood brand “element hotel inspired by Westin” is located in the western Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin at the base of the mountains, approximately 12 miles from the Las Vegas strip.

 

There are currently four element hotels open in the USA.

1. Element Arundel Mills, Hanover, Maryland

2. Element  Lexington, Massachusetts
3. Element Houston Vintage Park
4. Element Las Vegas Summerlin

The element Las Vegas is located directly off I-215 North, adjacent to the  side of the freeway at exit 23. One side of the hotel faces the interstate. The front of the hotel faces the mountains. The interior side faces the pool and a new business park of office buildings. There is very little around the hotel except for a Chevron gas station. This area is still being developed.

The element hotel is designed for the extended stay hotel market segment.

First impression: Compact, convenient, all mod cons within reach.

 

The desk area provided a lamp, AV box, and desk chair. The primary complaint I had with the room was the broken desk chair. The chair would not rise from its low level position. The hotel promptly had a replacement chair in the room within five minutes of my phone call.

Free wireless at the hotel – oh yeahhh! 

The element Las Vegas Summerlin is a four story hotel with five basic room types.

1. and 2.  Two types of studio suites have partial or full kitchens.

3. One bedroom suites have separate bedroom.

4. Two bedroom suites.

5. Executive Suites have extra sitting room space.

There were two couches for seating and one opened into a queen bed.  I stayed in a Studio Suite with kitchen facilities including a stove top (no oven), full size refrigerator/freezer, microwave, dishwasher, and sink.

 

 

In the cabinets were a toaster, pots, pans, and dishware. A coffee maker rounded out the traditional conveniences of a hotel room.

 

 

The King bed was quite comfortable and I believe it to be a Westin Heavenly bed.

The lobby of the element provided a comfortable environment. Breakfast had 20 to 30 people over a couple of hours hanging around in the lobby. The place provided a cool space for eating, reading, surfing the net, exercising, wii and TV entertainment (until Tiger started losing the PGA Championship). A lobby pantry provided access to several kinds of snacks for purchase throughout the day.

 

 

 31” HD TV in room and 42″ HDTV in lobby provided numerous channel options and real HD reception.  The hotel TVs were great for watching the 2009 PGA Championship. 

 

 

Free breakfast included juices, cereals, breads and pastries, smoothies, yogurt, and fruit. Hot eggs, sausage, and pancakes were provided in warming trays. For diners on the go there were wrapped egg and tomato bagels.

Hours are 6:30-9:30am Monday – Friday and 7 -10am Saturday and Sunday.

An evening complimentary reception with food and drink is provided 5:30-7pm Monday –Thursday. I stayed on a weekend and missed this service.

The lobby was a popular place with seating for about 60 at square dining tables, several couches and chairs, and counter tables. A Wii set-up using one main TV in the lobby was constantly in use by kids. Two computers were available in the lobby. A good size, bright and naturally lit with a bank of windows fitness room was frequently in use.

 

 

 

The outdoor pool has two shade cabanas. A long ledge in the pool allows people to sit in the water while leaving room for swimmers. The front desk receptionist said swimming was allowed until 11pm. The sign at the pool and information in the room stated pool hours were sunrise to sunset.

 

 

A large outdoor poolside grill is available for guest use.

 

The hotel is designed with a green concept. Daily maid service will straighten the room and make the bed. Extended stay guests receive a full room cleaning with bed linen changes every three days. The parking lot has dedicated hybrid car parking spaces. I realized there is a master switch for electricity when I couldn’t get the room lights to turn on. The master switch turned off does not prevent the TV working.

Kelley’s  complaint is the absence of a ledge for shaving her legs in the large shower stall. There is no bathtub in the bathroom. A plastic stool could remedy that issue.

 

 

 

Overall, I really like the element hotel. The Element Las Vegas seems popular with families.

 

 

The location in Summerlin makes the Las Vegas Strip a 15 to 20 minute drive. The Red Rock Casino and Resort 2 miles north, just off I-215, provides a large entertainment complex for family activities near to the Element Hotel. Red Rock has a large bowling alley, multi-theater movie, kids center, and a row of indoor fast food options like Panda Express and hamburger places adjacent to the casino. Red Rock is also a popular concert venue. Jackson Browne played the weekend of our stay.

 

Starwood Hotels element Las Vegas is a Starwood Category 3 Hotel.

Free nights using points are 7,000 per night.

Cash & Points nights are $45 + 2,800 points.

Platinum members receive only 250 points as a Platinum amenity (same for aloft hotels) rather than the usual 500 points per stay.

Room rates were approximately $109 per night in August 2009 with AAA rates as low as $75 per night for the basic junior suite and Executive Suites around $150 per night.Laundry room contains four washers and dryers. I think it was $1.50 load washer, $1.25 Dryer.

Why are lavish desert oasis pools rarely open more than 12 hours a day in a city where the temperature often does not drop below 80 by sunrise?

Casinos don’t profit from pool loungers.

Las Vegas is hot in the summertime. August temperatures at midnight can be 100 degrees. The temperature drops to the 80s by sunrise but by 10 am the temp is usually up in the 90s.

Vegas is a city of great swimming pools. Where else is there such a high concentration of beautiful bodies, bodacious curves, and ripped abs?

Go ogle in Vegas – but be ready to wear your shades in the mid-day sun. This town has limited pool ogle time after dinner on the Strip.

I have stayed at Starwood Hotels Planet Hollywood (formerly The Aladdin Hotel) a dozen times and only managed to make it to the pools once in the few hours they are open for the day. Planet Hollywood has open pool hours for just 10 hours a day in the peak summer season.

Starwood’s Westin Casuarina, one block off the strip, has an open pool for about 18 hours a day.

If the swimming pool is an important consideration in your Las Vegas holiday plans, then call the hotel before you book to check the pool hours for the dates of your stay. You may be wishing you stayed at the Holiday Inn if swimming at midnight is your plan. The Holiday Inn Henderson has 24-hour pool hours, as does the Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas, but these hotels are but this hotel is nowhere near the Las Vegas strip and the pool is nothing more exciting than a typical backyard pool.

(The Las Vegas hotel pool websites mentioned in this post are slightly out of date. Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas eliminated its 24 hour open pool policy at the beginning of summer 2009. The Ritz Carlton pool hours are now 8am-7pm Sunday-Thursday and 8am-8pm Friday-Saturday.)

The majority of Las Vegas casino hotels on the Strip have pools only open 8 to 12 hours per day in peak summer, and many pools are only open 6 to 8 hours per day between October and May. Pools may even be closed during winter months when temperatures some days still may climb to the upper 70s-low 80s. There are few indoor pools at Las Vegas hotels.

Here are two websites for Las Vegas pool reviews and hours. Nothing is constant in Vegas except the gambling, so a phone call is the best way to check for the latest information on a hotel’s pool hours.

Vegas.com – http://www.vegas.com/resorts/pools/

Las Vegas Advisor: http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/poolfaqs.cfm

 

Survey of Las Vegas Hotel Pool Hours in Peak Summer

Bellagio summer 8-8; fall/spring  8-7pm; winter 9-5pm

Caesars 9-5pm

Circus Circus 9-9 summer; fall and winter 9-5

Encore 8-7   (checked 8-15-09)

Excalibur Summer 8-8; Fall and Spring 9-7; Winter 10-5

Fitzgerald’s 7am-11pm

Flamingo 9am-7pm

Four Seasons Sunrise to Sunset

Greek Isles 24 hour pool

Green Valley Henderson 9-8pm 

Hard Rock Café 9am-6pm

JW Marriott 10-6pm

Loews Lake Las Vegas 8-8pm  (checked 8-15-09)

Luxor 8-7pm

M Resort 8-7pm

Mandalay Bay 9-7pm  (checked 8-15-09)

MGM Grand 7am-8pm

Mirage 7-8pm

Monte Carlo 9-5pm

New York New York 9-7pm

Palazzo 8-8pm

Palms 9-7pm

Paris Las Vegas 9-6pm

Planet Hollywood 9-7pm  (checked 8-16-09)

Red Rock Casino 8-8pm  (checked 8-16-09)

Renaissance 8-11pm

Rio 10-6pm

Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas 8am-7pm Sunday-Thursday; 8am-8pm Friday-Saturday  (checked 8-15-09)

Sahara 9-6pm

Stratosphere 8-7pm

Super 8 adjacent to Ellis Island Casino & Brewery one block off Strip ($1.50 microbrew pints all day) - 24 hours (checked 8-16-09)

Treasure Island 9-6pm

Venetian 8-8pm

Westin Casuarina 5am-midnight

Wynn 9-6pm

 Loyalty Traveler editorial note:

 

Pool hours were originally  cited from webpage postings of reviews not written during the summer season of peak pool hours. The sources cited were from sometime close in 2008. Posted hours have changed for many of these hotels.

Loyalty Traveler seeks to be a source of accurate and precise information.  Dates shown provide my personal verification of pool hours for the hotel on that date. Changes are frequent in hotel pool hours. A phone call is best for obtaining current pool hour conditions.

18 Hyatt Resorts are offering a Three for Free package with 3 value-added components for a multi-night stay. The three for free offer includes a free room night (minimum length of stay varies between resorts), free breakfast for two, and a free room upgrade.

Hyatt Resorts “3 for Free” Promotion link

The offer is a good deal for resorts I checked, particularly if you do not have Gold Passport Diamond elite status with complimentary Regency Club access (for free breakfast and room upgrades). The free night offer should make the overall rate slightly lower for your stay compared to other low rates, but careful room rate comparison is always a good idea to be sure this deal is truly a deal for your hotel stay dates.

Hyatt Resort 3 for Free Offer: The advertisement states the “3 for Free” offer is valid September 8 through December 18, 2009, however, a survey of the individual offers shows the promotion starts as early as August 23^rd for Maui and ends as late as December  31 for Scottsdale, Arizona or Key West, Florida.

There are several offer variations so I went through the 18 resorts and posted the specific offer for each Hyatt Resort. Some resorts offer the 3^rd night free, most are 4^th night free, and Kauai is 5^th night free.

Participating Hyatt Resorts

Aruba – Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th free night, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Aruba from September 8th to December 22nd, 2009.

Austin/Bastrop, Texas – Hyatt Regency Lost Pines

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines from September 8th to October 31. Enjoy the 3rd night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two from November 1 to December 18th, 2009.

Beaver Creek, Colorado – Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 3rd night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek from September 8th to November 25. Enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two from November 26th to December 18th, 2009.

Cambridge, Maryland – Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, & Marina

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 3rd night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Cancun, Mexico – Hyatt Regency Cancun

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Cancun from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Bonita Springs, Florida – Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade, free daily breakfast for two plus 10% off of spa services at Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Orlando, Florida – Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Huntington Beach, California – Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Indian Wells/Palm Springs, California – Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas, and Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade, free daily breakfast for two plus 20% off of spa services at Hyatt Regency Grand Champions from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Kauai, Hawaii – Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 5th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Grand Hyatt Kauai from September 8th to December 24th, 2009.

Key West, Florida – Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Key West from September 8th to December 31st, 2009.

Incline Village, Nevada – Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa, and Casino

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii – Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy every 3rd night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Maui from August 23rd to December 20th, 2009.

Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico – Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 3rd night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Tamaya from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Scottsdale. Arizona – Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 3rd night free, full breakfast for all registered guests, free dinner off Johnny Venture menu for kids with paying adult, 25% discount on spa services and free Camp Hyatt for all children in the room at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale. Offer valid on stays from September 8th to December 31st, 2009 when you book the Three for Free offer.

San Antonio, Texas – Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 3rd night free, free room upgrade, free daily breakfast for two plus 25% off of spa services at Hyatt Regency Hill Country from September 8th to December 18th, 2009.

Honolulu, Hawaii – Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa

Book the Three for Free offer and enjoy the 4th night free, free room upgrade and free daily breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Waikiki from September 8th to December 26th, 2009.

 

The deals just keep on rolling out with Hyatt and other chain hotels. Loyalty Traveler will create case study rate analyses of the Hyatt “3 for Free” offer in future posts.

Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona